April 22, 2004
Benefits online: A new way to analyze options
Both new and longtime employees now have online tools that will make analyzing and selecting their benefits much easier.
The benefits orientation site, www.washington.edu/admin/hr/benefits/benorient/, which was completed recently after eight months in development, brings together information from a variety of campus offices, but those connections are largely invisible to the employee, who will see a comprehensive list of benefits and the kinds of choices that are available in both mandatory and optional portions of the benefits package.
“We created a cross-campus team for this project, because employees want to be able to look in one location to see how the benefits affect their lives,” says Katy Dwyer, director of the Benefits Office. The offices involved include Human Resources, Academic Human Resources, Payroll, Computing & Communications, Training & Development, and Affirmative Action, just to name a few.
For new employees, the site also alerts them to the necessary paperwork that needs to be completed before certain benefits can be selected. Most All of those forms are available for download at the site. Employers can go into the site and have the necessary forms available for new employees on their very first day, including an online version of their benefits package.
“The site is not just for new employees,” says Mary Parker-Hale, Web specialist and chief designer of the site project lead., which has been in development for the past eight months. “Current employees can get the latest information about the range of benefits and how to choose or update them. This fits well with It complements the Employee Self-Service site to provide a complete picture of current benefits and the options that are available.”
The new online orientation is intended as a supplement but no not a replacement for in-person orientation especially for hospital employees who are required to attend one. But through its many options, the site tries to address the many different cultures and approaches that different campus units have to welcoming their employees. The site has been subjected to extensive user testing from all over campus, but Parker-Hale (mphale@u.washington.edu) expects to receive comments during this introductory phase and will continue to improve the site.
Access to the site is restricted to employees who have a NetID. “This is yet another reason why all employees, not just those who use computers daily, should acquire a NetID,” Dwyer says. The benefits orientation site contains locations for public access computers, both on campus and in the community.
“One virtue of the site,” Dwyer says, “is that employees who have computers at home can view the site and make choices while discussing them with family members. You don’t need to fill out the forms in the room during the in-person orientation, and feel compelled to make snap judgments on important questions.”
